The Trial
by Creassya
Summary: sequel to Seeing Clearly


  
  
**_  
~THE TRIAL~  
  
_**BY CREASSYA  
  
  
  
This takes place after Seeing Clearly. Chandler was so excited that Monica had regained her sight, he threw a party for her. The gang was finally able to relax a little and have fun. Now the trial is here and they're all worried that Jake and his brothers will be acquitted.  
  
  
Jake turned around to whisper something to his attorney, and Monica breathed again. She was terrified. The trial was supposed to last for a week and she wasn't sure if she could handle it. Once the judge was seated at the bench, he announced that it might be a couple hours before they select a jury. He asked to see the attorneys in chambers, so that they could interrogate each potential juror individually. One by one, jurors were escorted into to chambers. Some came back out and slowly filled the first two rows of the jury section of the courtroom, and the ones who were excused from jury duty left the courtroom. It was a long process. After about an hour and half, the judge said that he would recess until 2pm.  
  
The gang quickly left the courtroom and went home. Chandler and Monica were in her room, while the rest of the gang was in the living room.  
  
"This is gonna be a long day." Monica said.  
  
"I'm just glad that I don't have to testify today." Chandler said.  
  
"I know." She said caressing his hair.  
  
"I had a dream last night that they were acquitted."  
  
"Chandler, sweetie, I don't think that's gonna happen. I mean at first I did, but there's just too much on them."  
  
"Things go wrong at trial. They're criminals. They could probably bought off some of the jurors. Who knows."   
  
"I didn't think about that." She said looking down.  
  
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." He said caressing her face.  
  
"It's okay. We just have to expect the worst and hope for the best."  
  
"Yeah, you're right." He said.  
  
"So, when is your Mom coming into town?"  
  
"She said that she'll be here later today. She'll be here until the trial is over."  
  
"I wish it could be over today." She said.  
  
"I didn't see your parents in court today."  
  
"They'll be there later."  
  
A little after 2pm court was in session. The judge called on the prosecution to began opening arguments. The D.A. rose to his feet and faced the jury. He began by stating that the accused carefully planned to kill the two store clerks and that Jake attempted to kill Chandler, Monica, and Phoebe while holding them hostage.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, these men went into the store at 1:40am to kill two store clerks who allegedly owed them money to kill the store's owner. They didn't count on people being in the store at the time. That's where they messed up. They didn't even check to see if there were customers in the store. They beat these men up and blew up the store. Now, the defense will say that their clients didn't blow up the store, that a bomb was already planted by someone else. That the minute they realized there was a bomb in the store, they ran out, got into their car, and drove off. But we have witnesses and evidence that prove that the defendants had every intention on blowing up the store with the two clerks in it. We have a witness who says he overheard them threatening to blow up the store. Jake Thompson didn't stop there. He found the witness's wallet and decided to track him down. Once he did, he carefully planned his revenge. When his plan was put into effect, he held three people hostage and shot one of them. You will hear from a number of witnesses how Jake planned everything. He and his brothers killed those store clerks in cold blood, and Jake attempted to kill three others, and we'll prove that."  
  
The D.A.'s opening statement was only fifteen minutes long. He didn't want to waste time running off at the mouth. He wanted to say what he had to say and get on with the trial. He was ready to fry the defendants. When he took his seat, Jack and Judy quietly entered the courtroom and took their seats. Nora was already there. She was sitting next to Chandler and the rest of the gang.  
  
The judge called on the defense to began his opening argument. He stood up and approached the jury. He appeared to be arrogant and confident. When he began talking, Monica looked at the defendants. The men who had caused all of her and her friends so much pain and misery. Even though she was glad to have her sight back, she was hoping that she wouldn't be able to see their faces. She looked over at her parents, and then at her friends who sat in the same row as her and Chandler. They all had the same expressions on their faces. They looked angry and disgusted. The defense attorney was making his clients look like angels. She wished that she could tell him to shut up and sit down. She had her fist bawled up. She was getting angry. She knew that it was the attorney's job to make his clients look as good as possible, but she still didn't like it. She wondered how anyone could find anything nice to say about Jake and his brothers. What they did was horrible. He talked for over an hour. When he took his seat, the judge told the D.A. to call his first witness.  
  
"Your honor, I would like to call Detective Marshall to the stand." The DA Steve Mosely said.  
  
Detective Marshall took the stand and placed his right hand on the bible. After swearing to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, he sat down. Steve Mosely approached the bench and began questioning the detective.  
  
"Can you state your name for the record."  
  
"My name is Detective John Marshall of the 9th precinct."  
  
"Where do you currently reside?" Steve asked.  
  
"I live at 1512 Long Island."  
  
"How old are you?"  
  
"32." He answered.  
  
"And how long have you been a police officer?"  
  
"Ten years."  
  
"You were one of the arresting officers at the scene of one of the hostage's apartment?"  
  
"Yes, that's right." Detective Marshall said.  
  
"Can you describe what happened the day you arrested Jake?  
  
"Well, we got a call from a friend of one the hostages. He told us that his friends were being held hostage across the hall from his apartment. So we called for backup. Before we left the precinct we got another call from the brother of one of the hostages telling us that he lived in the building right across the street and he could see what was going on. So some of the officers went there and the rest went to the building where the hostages were being held."  
  
"What did you do then?"  
  
"We called in a negotiator. He stood outside the door trying to talk Jake into letting the hostages go."  
  
"Did he?"  
  
"No." Detective Marshall answered.  
  
"What happened next?"  
  
"Well, after hours of negotiating, we realized that it was hopeless. We came up with a plan to capture him."  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
"We had the brother of one of the hostages distract him from the window across the street and we burst into the apartment."  
  
"Did he have a weapon?" The D.A. asked looking at the jury.  
  
"Yes. He had a gun in his hand."  
  
"What did he do when you told him to drop the gun?"  
  
"He pointed the gun to his head. When he was about to pull the trigger, I shot him in the leg."  
  
"Did you read him his rights?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Is this the gun he used to shoot one of the hostages that day?" He asked holding the gun in his hand and looking at the jury.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I'd like to enter this into evidence S-13." The D.A. said.  
  
"Very well." The judge said.  
  
"No further questions." Steve said sitting down.  
  
"Any cross examination?" The judge asked the defense.  
  
"No, your honor." The defense attorney Carl Tinney said.  
  
"Very well, Mosely, call your next witness."The judge said.  
  
"I call Detective Lane to the stand."  
  
Detective Lane took the stand and was asked the same questions. Pictures of Jake holding Chandler, Monica, and Phoebe hostage were shown to the jury. Once he was done answering questions, he stepped down from the stand. The judge announced that court stands adjourned until 9am tomorrow. Ronald and Chandler would have to testify.   
  
Later that night Chandler sat in Monica's bed leaned up against the bed post looking at the walls. She came back in the room with a towel wrapped around her.  
  
"Chandler, what's wrong?"  
  
"I can't sleep. Did you have a good shower?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Monica sat on the bed next to Chandler and caressed his face. He closed his eyes and Monica climbed on top of him and began kissing his neck slowly. Then she stopped and looked at him. He opened his eyes wondering why she stopped. She put her hands to his face and softly kissed him on the lips.  
  
"I think this will put you to sleep." She said grinning.  
  
They started kissing very slowly and passionately. She slowly unbuttoned his night shirt and caressed his chest. He pulled her closer to him and began caressing her hair and her face. They stopped kissing and Chandler began kissing her neck and slowly taking off her towel. Once he had taken off her towel, he laid on her back and laid on top of her. She reached down and slid his pants off. They started kissing again and things became heated and intense. Monica was expecting Chandler to start freaking out at any moment, but he didn't. He was totally focused on her. And she was totally focused on him. They made love for over two hours. Chandler laid in Monica's arms. They talked for a while and he drifted off to sleep. She laid there with Chandler in her arms caressing his hair and rubbing his back until she fell asleep.  
  
The next day they were in court and Ronald had already taken the stand. Ronald had explained to the jury and everyone in the courtroom how he found out about Jake and Dave working together. The tape of Jake and Dave's conversation while Dave went to visit him in jail to discuss plans of killing the six of them were played in open court. Pictures of the gang that were taking by Jake was also shown to the jury, proving that Jake had stalked them before he held them hostage. Ronald had also told the jury what he found out about the two store clerks who were killed in the explosion that morning on April 21.  
  
Chandler sat there listening to Ronald. He was glad that he had hired him. He went beyond the call of duty. He found a lot more information on Jake and Dave than Chandler expected him to find. He was tough also. He didn't seem phased at all by the defense. Carl Tinney had roughed him on a little on the stand, but he didn't let it bother him. When it was time for him to step down, Chandler was called to the stand.  
  
"State your name." The D.A. said.  
  
"My name is Chandler Bing."  
  
"Where do you live Mr. Bing?"  
  
"I live in the Village, apartment 19.  
  
"And what do you do for a living?"  
  
"I'm a Data Processing Supervisor." He answered.  
  
"And you work in New York?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"How long have you lived in New York?"  
  
"All my life."  
  
"Can you explain to the jury, what you witnessed on the morning of April 21?  
  
"Me and my friends were on our way to Florida to visit my Mom. I needed some gas, so we pulled into the gas station in Virginia. While my friend Joey was putting gas in the mini van I went in the store with my girlfriend Monica, and Rachel. I was going to get me something to snack on. I noticed that my girlfriend wasn't around, so I asked Rachel, her roommate, where she was."  
  
"And where was she?"  
  
"Rachel said that she went back to the van."  
  
"What happened after she left the store?"  
  
"After she left the store I heard some people come in, but I didn't see them until I heard Rachel leave the store."  
  
"What happened next?" The D.A. asked.  
  
"I heard them arguing."  
  
"What were they arguing about?"  
  
"I just heard one of them say something about blowing up the store because they weren't being paid their money."  
  
"And who is they?"  
  
"Jake and his brothers." Chandler said pointing them out.  
  
"Did you seen any of them?"  
  
"I only saw one of them at the time."  
  
"And which one was that?"  
  
"I think his name is Jeff." He said pointing to the one that sat closest to Jake.  
  
"Did he attack you?"  
  
"Yeah. I was peaking from behind one of the isles, and he grabbed me from behind and we started fighting."  
  
"How did you manage to get away?"  
  
"I kicked him, and we he fell I ran out of the store."  
  
"He hit you with a board right?"  
  
"Yeah. He broke my wrist."  
  
The DA went on to question Chandler about the night Jake held him, Monica and Phoebe hostage. He was doing pretty good until he was being cross examined. Chandler lost his temper a couple times. He wanted to jump over the stand and choke Carl. He was so arrogant.  
  
The next day Rachel and Phoebe had to testify. Phoebe cried for hours before they had to go to court. Besides being afraid to testify, she still felt incredibly guilty. By the time she was called to the stand, she was already crying. The D.A. asked if she was okay to testify today and she said that she was fine. He gave her some tissues and got her a glass of water. She cried the whole time he questioned her. When Carl questioned her, she cried even more. The D.A. would object every five minutes or so. She looked in Jake's direction once. She kept her head down the rest of time. She didn't want to look at him. When Carl was through questioning her she stepped down and went back to her seat.  
  
Rachel was called to the stand next. She handled herself pretty well. She shed a few tears, but she wasn't nearly as upset as Phoebe was. He asked her the same questions as he had asked Phoebe and Chandler. Where did she live, what did she do for a living, what happened that morning of the explosion, which one of Jake's brothers did she see that morning, and what happened that day that her friends were being held hostage. She also handled herself pretty well when Carl cross examined her. He pissed her off but she remained calm and didn't show him that he upset her. When he saw that he wasn't getting to her, he had no more questions for her.  
  
The next morning Monica was sitting on her bed looking at the floor when Chandler came back in the room.  
  
"Honey, you okay?" Chandler asked kneeling beside her.  
  
"No. I don't think I can testify today."  
  
"I think you can do it."  
  
"Did you see how he ripped Phoebe apart on the stand yesterday?"  
  
"Yeah, I felt like ripping him apart." Chandler said.  
  
"I just don't think I can handle this."  
  
"Just keep your eyes on me." He said with an encouraging smile.  
  
"I'll try."  
  
"Just remember, we're doing this so that they'll spend the rest of their lives in prison."  
  
"Or Jake can get the death penalty. Two counts of murder." She said.  
  
Chandler hugged her and hoped that she wouldn't lose it on the stand. Monica and Ross had to testify, and Joey would testify two days after. Chandler held on to Monica's hand tightly until she was called to the stand.  
  
"State your name."  
  
"Monica Geller."  
  
"What's your occupation?"  
  
"I'm a chef."  
  
"Are you currently working in a restaurant?"  
  
"No. I've been on disability for four months."  
  
"Where do you live?"  
  
"In the Village, apartment 20."  
  
"Now, you were with your boyfriend and roommate in the store the morning of April 21?  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Where were you when your boyfriend Chandler and roommate Rachel were in the store?"  
  
"I was in the bathroom a little ways back from the store."  
  
"What happened when you came out of the bathroom?"  
  
"The store exploded."  
  
"What happened to you as a result of the explosion?"  
  
"I lost my eye sight." She said with tears in her eyes.  
  
"And when did you regain your eye sight?"  
  
"A couple weeks ago."  
  
"So couple days ago was your first time seeing the defendants correct?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Now, when you were being held hostage with your boyfriend Chandler, and one of your bestfriends Phoebe, what were you thinking about at the time?"  
  
"I thought he was gonna kill us."  
  
"Why is that?"  
  
"Because Jake had the gun...pointed to my head."  
  
"Why do you think that he had the gun pointed to your head? You didn't see anything the morning of the explosion." The D.A. asked.  
  
"Because he was a witness. He thought that Chandler knew something."  
  
"Something like what?"  
  
"He thought Chandler might have heard them discussing the reason for them blowing up the store."  
  
"What did he do when Chandler told them what he knew?"  
  
"He still held the gun to my head. And when Chandler yelled at him to stop pointing the gun at me, he pointed the gun at him." Monica said wiping away her tears.  
  
"So at some point during that night, he had held a gun to each one of your heads?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"No further questions."  
  
"Any cross examination Mr. Tinney?"  
  
"Yes your honor." He said approaching the bench.  
  
Chandler kept his eyes on Monica who kept her eyes on him. As soon as Carl Tinney began questioning her she bawled up her fist. She glanced at him a few times during cross examination, but she mainly watched Chandler. At help her out a lot because he was making her angry with each question. He didn't lay into her the way he did with Phoebe, Chandler, and Rachel. At the time of the hostage situation she was blind. He saw no reason to rip her apart. When he was finished questioning her, she returned to her seat.  
  
Ross was called to the stand next.  
  
"State your name."  
  
"Ross Geller."  
  
"And your occupation?"  
  
"I'm a Paleontologist."  
  
"Where do you currently live?"  
  
"In the Village, apartment 3B."  
  
"What did you see from the mini van that morning of the explosion?"  
  
"Well, first I saw Rachel crawling on the ground from the store."  
  
"Why was crawling?"  
  
"She saw one of Jake's brothers while she was sneaking out of the store. In a hurry to get away, she feel down the steps outside the store."  
  
"So You, Phoebe Buffay, and Joey Tribbianni, saw her crawling toward the van?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What happened next?" The D.A. asked.  
  
"We helped her into the van and she told us that they were men in the store with gun, and for me to call 911."  
  
"And did you call 911?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then what happened?"  
  
"I saw Chandler run out of the store, and shortly after I we saw Jake and his brothers run out and get into their car."  
  
The D.A. went on to ask him about the role he played in helping the police capture Jake, and what he witnessed from his apartment window. When Steve was finished with Ross, the judge asked Mr. Tinney if he wanted to cross examine. Surprisingly he didn't have any questions. Ross was relieved. He was told that he could step down. Two days later, Joey was called on to take the stand. He was questioned in the same way as Ross, and again, Mr. Tinney had no questions. Joey stepped off the stand and took his seat next to his friends. They were all happy that they had all testified and that the trial was almost over. The attorneys had delievered their closing arguments. All they had to do now was wait for the jury to return with a verdict. The judge told the jury that if they couldn't reach a decision by 4:00 he would recess until tomorrow and they could try again.  
  
Days had passed, and the jury still hadn't reached a verdict. On the fourth day of deliberations, they had finally reached a verdict. The gang was extremely nervous. They all sat in the same row and held hands. They watched as the foreman handed the small piece of paper to the bailiff, and he handed it to the judge who handed it back the bailiff and back to the foreman.  
  
"Will the defendants please rise." The judge said.  
  
He then asked the foreman to read the verdict.  
  
"We the jury, find the defendants.........  
  
  
  
**WHAT DO YOU THINK THE OUTCOME WILL BE?  
  
STAY TUNED........**  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
